


you don't want to be alone.

by kaidoripropaganda



Series: akane + relationship studies. [3]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Developing Friendships, F/M, M/M, Post-Canon, Relationship Study, soda is a good friend and has a good heart he's just stupid sometimes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:14:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26423206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaidoripropaganda/pseuds/kaidoripropaganda
Summary: akane never expected to find such a good friend in such a bad moment of her life however, sometimes people just come naturally. [ relationship study with akane and soda ]
Relationships: Hinata Hajime/Soda Kazuichi, Nidai Nekomaru/Owari Akane, Owari Akane & Soda Kazuichi, soul friends is my favourite mlm pair in this series it is so underrated
Series: akane + relationship studies. [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1913356
Comments: 4
Kudos: 47





	you don't want to be alone.

**Author's Note:**

> oh yes we are back, back, back, back again. more relationships with akane but this time with soda, my absolute favourite friendship in the entire series is akane+soda+fuyuhiko so I am very excited to know those are the ones that are left. this vic has an extra special dedication to vic, my favourite soda stan, I love you and their friendship will always remind me of us.
> 
> ft. my akane redesign, as always, because I just have grown attached to it and love it dearly and I just think she's neat.

* * * 

Akane flushed and coughed quietly as she exited the door of her cottage, she felt her body lean against the door for a brief moment as she picked at her fingernails, unable to focus.

_ Get it together Owari… _

She cracked her knuckles, happy that her previous back and shoulder pains seemed to have simply vanished into thin air after Nekomaru had stayed over and helped alleviate her stress. 

Her face still felt hot and her heart still seemed to pace fifty beats faster when thinking back to the entire experience. It felt wonderful however it was definitely  _ more _ than wonderful.

Once they had finished, Nekomaru was impressed at how calm and collected she had been; the gymnast had put her clothes back on without a word before she walked over to the team manager who stared at her.

_ "Thanks for the massage old man," she winked as her hand cupped his cheeks before she laughed waving him away as she finished slipping on her shorts. _

_ "If it'll keep you from being reckless I can't complain."  _

The gymnast began to walk towards the restaurant, feeling her stomach growl as she placed her hands in her denim jacket's pockets as she hummed.

Fuyuhiko had yet to return to them but he was at least safe, that was all Akane could ask for. His entire facade had seemed to break down piece by piece as every day without Peko passed—it was almost impressive what a strong mark and last word she had left for him.

_ Damn, he really loves her. _

She did as well, they all could tell, the crying and the final words and execution had solidified it for them all. 

Akane was glad the Yakuza had returned to them unharmed though Fuyuhiko's quiet demeanor was something unsettling to all of them, especially her. 

It was far too stark of a contrast to the cocky, overconfident and aggressive guy they had been used to in the killing game. 

The gymnast knew it was for the better and that maybe he would finally learn to grow and be not as much of a dick however none of them deserved to die or get hurt like this.

She began to walk towards the lobby, her head tilting as she saw Hajime and Soda together, the mechanic's arm around the brunette who seemed flustered.

"That's an odd pair," she called out as she walked past the two, Soda immediately winced, yelling as he jumped, completely taken aback at the sound of her voice.

"Hey...hey Akane," he muttered as Hajime rolled his eyes beside him, Soda nervously feeling a flush grow across his cheeks as the silence intensified between the three.

"You can tell me to go away y'know," she grinned before Hajime shook his head, he seemed for once just as puzzled as the mechanic. "Don't wanna interrupt the relationship building you got going on," she teased.

"It's not that it's—" 

"Are you and Nekomaru a thing or what?" Soda blurted out before Akane's eyes widened. Hajime glared with intense eyes, as if he was about to slap the hell out of him, his eyes closed immediately, cringing for Soda's own sake.

"What?" She muttered, completely taken back by his question. No,  _ offended _ more like. Akane's tone came out just a bit too aggressive clearly, she noticed Hajime and Soda almost immediately crack under her one worded reply.

Reluctantly Soda opened his mouth, referring back to the hospital where she had chased after him begging for "it" and sounding like she was completely under his palm. 

"Plus when we tried to follow you guys you sure sounded intimate," he added before he paused realizing exactly what he had admitted aloud. 

Hajime stomped on the ground.

"Soda!" He yelled angry that he had just blown their cover so damn easily, Soda felt himself disappear beneath his black beanie as they eyed Akane nervously; the gymnast was careful not to make any sudden movements.

"You guys watched?!" She finally yelped before she felt her hands curl into a fist, looking directly at Soda.

The mechanic screamed, jumping into Hajime's arms though the brunette scoffed, immediately dropping him purely due to the shock and his weight.

"I get you're horny but good god you tried to follow us?"

Soda whined.

"Don't punch me for having human tendencies and being curious about you two!" 

Akane sighed, taking a deep breath before holding a hand out in front of her face; needing a moment to process exactly what was even going on. She prayed she wouldn't have to explain this to anyone, especially not Nekomaru.

"You two are fucking incredible," she spat before walking off bitter, hands in her denim jacket's pockets as she groaned aloud.

_ I just came to get food and now I can't even enjoy that!  _

Soda looked back at Hajime with nervous laughter.

"Sorry about that." 

"Be thankful she didn't rearrange your face because she definitely looked like she was about to." 

* * *

"Finally!" Soda screamed.

The mechanic kicked the elevator's metal door open, pumping his fists in the air having successfully repaired and reopened use of the broken elevator.

"You could've pressed the damn button dumbass," the Yakuza beside him whispered, unimpressed by his antics.

Soda scoffed.

"At least be grateful for my talents, I got this elevator repaired and working again!" 

No one could argue with that statement.

A few seconds before the door fully opened, the four boys sighed in relief even if they knew that coming back to this area was for nothing but bad reasons.

One of their friends was dead and dismembered on the ground apparently.

"God damn, about time," Fuyuhiko muttered as he immediately stepped out of the elevator into Grape House with not even a second of hesitation. 

Nagito and Gundham followed, attempting to navigate their way around the familiar territory. Soda was the last to exit, following the three knowing eventually they'd find someone to lead them to the investigation or to Hajime or Chiaki.

Soda sighed.

"Man she is not gonna take this well," he muttered before Fuyuhiko who had slowed his pace down, still weak and fumbling a bit on his feet, gave a frown in response.

"Akane." 

It wasn't a statement, it was a confirmation to who the mechanic meant when he had been thinking aloud to himself. 

"Yeah…" he replied solemnly, he felt  _ awful,  _ Akane hadn't been his favourite person on the planet when they had their first interactions however she slowly grew into his closest female companion especially after Ibuki had passed.

He knew how  _ complex _ her relationship with the team manager had been.

Fuyuhiko looked pained more than any of them, he couldn't tell if it was because of Nekomaru or Akane or both of them.

"I wished she listened to my advice when he still had time." 

Soda cocked a brow, confused before they all spotted the Grape Hall door in the distance. 

Nagito immediately ran for the hills as they all picked up the pace, the mechanic not having time to ask what  _ exactly _ he meant by that.

The breeder pushed Nagito aside as he pressed the button, Soda impatiently awaiting for the door to open before it did; the crime scene laid out right in front of them.

"Good god," the mechanic grumbled as his eyes immediately darted towards the broken pillar and right beside it laid Nekomaru completely broken apart and left for dead. 

Oil leaked all over the floor and pillar.

Fuyuhiko winced at the sight, Soda immediately heading over to Akane.

_ "Dammit… I don't know who did this, but this… this is pretty fucked up!" _

Akane stood beside his body, completely lost in thought as tears ran down both of her cheeks, her usual intuition must have shut down at the sight of his dead body in front of her considering she didn't even notice Soda walking towards her.

"Hey… Akane," he whispered, trying not to scare her though he desperately wished to comfort her through a situation as hard and unforgiving as this.

The gymnast snapped, wanting to grieve in peace.

"What?!" She screamed before covering her mouth realizing it was Soda and not Hajime or Sonia coming over to speak to her again. 

Soda stayed silent, her scream had completely bounced off the walls.

"You guys made it over?" She asked gently, her body tense and her face completely red and stained with tears as Soda nodded quietly, explaining that he managed to fix the elevator so now they could travel back and forth again.

"Akane I'm really sorry…" 

The gymnast broke into loud sobs, the mechanic nervously pulled her into his grasp, tightly hugging the slightly shorter woman to make sure she knew she wouldn't be alone in this.

It was awkward, they had never shown affection to each other but Soda was sure this was what Nekomaru would want right? For someone to make sure she was okay and well taken care of. 

_ He'd probably say it was a managers duty or some shit like that right? This is what she needs right now. _

"Dammit, this is all my fault," she whimpered, every second word coming out her mouth completely muffled with a cough or a sob. Soda didn't have the balls to correct her or ask her to repeat herself, now wasn't the time.

He didn't know how to respond.

There was probably nothing he could do or say that would help her past the current slump.

Sonia walked over, clasping her hands together worried for Akane as she smiled up at Soda, impressed that he was being so quiet and understanding with one of the women in their group.

The gaze lasted only a few seconds but Soda felt his heart race, he felt selfish for wanting to immediately let go of Akane and run to see how Sonia had held up however he knew deep in his heart that wasn't important right now.

He watched as the princess immediately ran over to Gundham, the two smiling gently at the sight of one another, the breeder flushing furiously when Sonia had hugged him, their bodies swaying.

Soda felt jealousy rush through him furiously. 

"Thanks," he finally heard Akane speak up, bringing him back to earth and to what was really important.

"Anytime Owari," he hummed before they separated, Soda keeping an arm steady around her shoulders just in case she felt the need to grab him once again.

Hajime walked over, the two greeting each other hesitant. Nagito joined right behind him and Fuyuhiko who had all come to examine the body before them.

"Now that Mikan is no longer with us, we can't perform an autopsy," Nagito observed as he stared disinterested at Nekomaru's dead body. 

"But Kazuichi should be able to disassemble the body right?" 

They all seemed to turn immediately to the mechanic with horrified eyes or confused looks. Gundham and Chiaki seemed to be the only ones remotely okay with this concept.

"Huh? Me?" 

Sonia furiously cut in, demanding that there must be another way besides picking apart their friend right front of an audience for all to see.

"No, don't you dare… damnit," Akane yelled, her emotions overtaking any bit of logic she had left after having to investigate around her own best friend's body. 

"Don't screw with me," she screamed before she pointed her finger at Nagito, who stood in place, no change of expression besides a mere shake of his head when he heard how loud she had become. 

"Hasn't coach Nekomaru been through enough already?" 

"We need to perform this to find out who the killer is," Nagito began, feeling absolutely no bit of sympathy for the gymnast even in her darkest hour. 

"Or perhaps you don't want to know?" He added before crossing his arms, staring down Akane as if she was a mere irrelevance to the investigation.

"Maybe you don't care about what happened to Nekomaru." 

Akane's stomach dropped, her eyes immediately watering at the comment.

"Asshole!" Fuyuhiko yelled, his eyes completely overtaken with a look of utter anger, "That's no way to talk to her fucking prick," he spat at the Lucky Student who seemed to ignore his comment.

Akane clutched her heart before she felt unnerving anger take over her body.

"Why you…" 

She launched herself at Nagito but Soda and Fuyuhiko immediately grabbed her and pulled her back to the ground, Hajime yelled but Nagito stood perfectly still.

He smirked, expecting that kind of response from the person who had cared and loved Nekomaru most.

"Cmon Kazuichi."

Soda looked at Akane, as if to get her permission to completely take him apart.

The gymnast starred in the other direction, Fuyuhiko rubbing her shoulders as they spoke in the corner facing away from the other students.

Soda sighed.

"Damnit, fine…" 

* * * 

"This is so fucked up," Fuyuhiko observed.

Akane sighed, holding Minimaru in the palm of her hand as she smiled gently, distracted by the gift Soda had made just for her after he had died in the funhouse.

"I know, obviously this is some kind of trap," she observed.

_ "OBVIOUSLY!"  _

The gymnast laughed.

Soda smiled gently, glad to see her spirit somewhat raised especially in an environment as odd and complex as this. 

There were nothing but unanswered questions and all three of them knew none of them would likely ever be answered. 

Everything felt hazy, their vision seemed to glitch and everything seemed backwards or upside down in their brains. Akane ran a hand through her hair as she put away the gadget.

"I don't know what's gonna happen to us but my gut says it'll be important, that it'll finally help us figure out how to leave this damn killing game." 

The Yakuza sighed, leaning up against the purple hallway wall as Soda and Akane did the same, the three comforted in each other's presence in silence.

"What happens after this?" Soda asked, not expecting any kind of answer to that question.

"We try to help everyone," Fuyuhiko immediately responded, determined to find out how and where everyone bodies had gone and if this was  _ really _ some kind of sick, twisted game. 

"I refuse to believe she's gone," he whispered to himself though Akane and Soda both consolidated him with a rub of his shoulders. 

"I don't want him gone either, he can't be," the gymnast muttered under her breath. "After weeks, I can't take it anymore, I want him back." 

Fuyuhiko looked up at her, impressed that she had admitted her feelings so openly in her own Akane style. 

The Yakuza grinned, proud that she had somewhat confronted her feelings without anger or Nagito pressing her on about it. She seemed comfortable finally admitting how close they had been, how close they were.

It was a step forward certainly.

Soda awkwardly laughed.

He couldn't complain, of course he missed everyone but he had his two closest friends, the blonde woman of his dreams and his soul friend—he couldn't complain about who had managed to survive with him. 

"Soda can't complain the woman he's desperately in love with is still alive," Akane added as Soda gasped, offended that he had basically summarized what he had been thinking.

"Her and Hajime and you guys!" 

Fuyuhiko and Akane laughed, the gymnast rubbing his blonde hair with a grin, happy to have her chosen sibling of sorts still beside her.

Then of course there was Soda; what had started as a rocky relationship only seemed to grow and grow especially after the entire stalking incident back after the hospital visit to see Fuyuhiko.

"If anything happens to us…" 

The two boys turned their gaze towards Akane who had begun to force her words from her lips, determined to finish summarizing what she had wanted to say since they had arrived at what looked like the academy.

"I need you both to know that it's been really cool to meet you both, I hope that this isn't the end of our friendship y'know," she hummed.

Soda wanted to tear up for some odd reason having heard her say that; perhaps it was the fact he had never felt like he belonged and had been so used by his other best friends.

_ This is different, this isn't like the past. _

He slung an arm around her waist as he put his head on her shoulder, smiling tenderly. 

"Jeez, don't get all emotional now," the Yakuza responded as he stared at the sight of Akane and Soda hugging and being all around sad about the ordeal. 

Fuyuhiko swallowed a breath, not knowing what to feel. 

It was certainly a possibility that everything would fall to shit, they couldn't know when everything was in Monokuma's control.

"But regardless, we will always be friends now," Fuyuhiko added with a small smile growing across his face. 

Akane pulled him in, "Come here baby gangster," she yelled as she tightly held onto him, the three of them hugging side by side as Fuyuhiko groaned in frustration.

"Stop calling me that!"

Minutes passed before Fuyuhiko insisted that he investigate just a little more and try to see what Hajime or Sonia had found to help them in the final trial.

They waved goodbye to each other for one final time knowing the next time all three would see each other would be in that damn trial room.

Akane tugged on the sleeve of Soda's jumpsuit, wanting his attention, curious about something she had picked up on since the fifth trial.

Soda's attraction to Sonia seemed to decrease at a rapid rate, thankfully for the both of them they seemed happier with that feat, wanting space and to be normal friends. 

"Can I ask you something?" 

Soda winked, "Shoot it!" 

"Do you like Hajime?" 

The mechanic almost choked on his own spit, surprised greatly by the question; it seemed completely out of left field.

"I mean… yeah of course, he's my soul brother," he began before Akane raised a finger, unsurprisingly having to correct her intention towards the meaning of the question.

"No, no I mean do you  _ like _ him." 

Soda blinked for a few seconds before the intent of the question knocked him out, he could've truly collapsed on the floor easily if he wanted to be extra dramatic.

"No, no, no!" 

Akane groaned, unconvinced.

"You clearly have a thing for him, you're moving on past Sonia finally and you seem attached to him, that's why you thought he was the traitor right?" 

Soda starred, confused.

"What does that have to do with me having a hypothetical, totally not real, crush on Hajime?" 

"You suspected him so you could push aside your feelings," she began, Soda completely silent as he listened to her accusation. "You didn't want to hurt yourself thinking he might be a traitor to us all so you decided to dismiss how close you two were." 

"You… you… how are you suddenly a detective?!" He managed to get out before Akane laughed quietly, the gymnast shrugging before him.

She wasn't wrong and that was what the mechanic hated the absolute most.

Soda was confused how suddenly logical and put together Akane was on the subject of love and the inner workings of his brain; it was painfully accurate.

How had she managed to put the puzzle together before him? 

Akane sighed, hopeless.

"Don't worry, I won't say anything, I just wanted confirmation," she grinned before pointing out that his red cheeks and the sweat across his forehead were enough to prove her point anyway.

"Shut up!" 

Akane cackled.

"It's okay to have a crush you know, it's refreshing compared to you stalking Sonia all around the island," she admitted bluntly as Soda felt his pride crack.

"Damn," he mumbled before Akane sighed, adjusting the sports tape around her wrist as they stood leaning against the wall, refusing to move.

"I'm just saying."

Soda nodded, unable to add anything further about the subject, he hadn't even given it much thought, he knew they were close and that he had slowly shifted past Sonia but was  _ Hajime  _ the reason why? 

"JUST SAYING!" 

Akane snickered a loud upon hearing the Minimaru yell out even from her denim jacket's pocket. Even he agreed.

Soda rolled his eyes.

"What was I thinking when I added that function…" 

* * * 

Almost eight months had passed since the five survivours of the killing game had woken up from their comatose.

Hajime, who still had all of Izuru's talents and smarts, had been hard at work with the encryption of the pods, coding and spending most of the first month locked in the dark, cold room.

Sometimes Soda would accompany him, hours at a time, there would be nothing but silence and maybe the sounds of keyboards clacking and a bottle of water opening.

The reserve course student seemed glad to have company, occasionally leaning on the mechanic's shoulder for comfort—letting him know that he mattered, that he appreciated him being here.

Soda would smile and say it was no problem, their hands interwoven with one another as the days went by.

The second month had brought success, Gundham being, to the surprise of everyone, the first of the students to wake up who hadn't survived all the way to the end.

One by one the list went down, everyone had different reactions to waking up, most were crying or deluded confusion mixed with paralyzing fear. Everyone had their own physical and mental issues to deal with. 

Hence why Kyouko had implemented individual and group therapy for them all to do for at least one month after waking up. The building had been set up by the Future Foundation on the first island, just near the lobby for easy access.

Almost everyone had woken up from the simulation so far aside from Nagito and Mikan; things seemed to be slowly growing back into the old order.

Everyone seemed happier in some capacity, how could they not be? No one, especially not the Future Foundation, had believed the rest of the students and remnants of despair would ever awake. 

Makoto remained the exception, committed to his hopeful attitude, promising that someway, somehow they'd find a way to wake up their sleeping friends and they did with the help of Byakuya and Kyouko.

Some bitterness lingered: Mahiru was still completely convinced this was another game happening and she steered utterly clear of Fuyuhiko and Peko for three straight months unless it was at therapy.

However, they all in one way or another meshed with each other: some far more than others but they all were glad to be back on the  _ real _ island, no killing.

No Chiaki either.

That feeling often lingered especially for Hajime who would name all the passwords of his computers or coding systems after her. He had suggested a new statue be put in place honouring their close friend though he hadn't heard back on that one yet.

Soda had been trotting through the cottages, the time far too late for him to explain himself if anyone saw him though truthfully he just wanted to explore the island again for himself.

He completely froze in his tracks as he quietly and slyly entered the gate of the hotel, looking towards his cottage before his eyes widened.

The mechanic noticed Akane, a smile radiating off her lips as she interlocked her hand with Nekomaru who stood right beside her with a soft gaze. 

"Oh my god," he whispered to himself, praying that they finally had somehow worked out their feelings with one another.

Everyone knew they had a thing for each other, it was the worst kept secret of the island. They constantly refused said claims, ignoring everyone who brought up the idea of them being together.

They were just best friends, just an athlete and the manager who cares about her deeply, just the fighting partners who always seemed to stare at one another or smile just a bit too long. 

Hell, even since during the simulation everyone knew something had been up with those two.

Soda cocked a brow, noticing Nekomaru saying something to her before Akane rolled her eyes from afar, taking his face into her hands and kissing him.

Nekomaru, seemed shocked but quickly followed her lead as their arms seemed to naturally wrap around each other; the manager lovingly running his fingers through her hair.

He gasped before quickly realizing he needed to keep his mouth shut.

Soda wanted to cover his eyes, it felt like he was seeing something completely not meant for him however he wanted to also cheer, scream at the top of his lungs for them. He was her personal wingman, second to Fuyuhiko who was almost like a sibling to her.

_ God damn, finally.  _

_ Took them long enough. _

Soda still couldn't believe that Fuyuhiko and Peko had gotten together faster than Akane and Nekomaru, the two most blunt and headstrong people on the island.

They pulled away from each other as Nekomaru grabbed her wrist, briskly pulling her inside his cottage as the door slammed shut. Soda could tell from the smirk across Akane's face and the growing red blush of Nekomaru's face that something  _ definitely _ was going to go down.

The mechanic gave one last look out before nonchalantly walking to his cottage.

As he passed by Nekomaru's cottage he pumped his fists in the air for Akane, sending her off with his own personal salute and congratulations.

"Finally," he muttered in relief before he heard someone call his name, he winced, praying that it was not Akane.

His brain suddenly picked up the voice as he smiled widely, realizing it was Hajime.

"Why are you still up?" He asked quietly, realizing that he shouldn't have yelled out at almost two in the morning. Soda shrugged, adjusting the zipper of his jumpsuit as he looked at the brunette.

"I could ask you to." 

Hajime laughed.

Soda felt his heart begin to shake and spin in every direction possible, there was something utterly irresistible and euphoric about watching him laugh or smile in his direction.

"If you wanna know the truth I was looking for you." 

The mechanic ran a hand down his face, unable to compute what exactly Hajime had just said to him of all people. 

Flushing, he grinned, honoured that he was the person that Hajime had thought about from everyone who had woke up.

"Do you still need me?" 

His hand at this point had moved away from the doorknob as Hajime looked around before grabbing his hand, the mechanic not sure what to think of what was happening.

Hajime's skin felt warm and comforting; he admitted that he had wanted to show him some of the tech upgrades he had done, wanting the opinion of his "favourite mechanic." 

Soda laughed, utterly hopelessly in love.

_ God Fuyuhiko and Akane were right I have it fucking bad.  _

"Of course, I don't mind…" 

They skipped over to his cottage with soft smiles as Soda's only gripped his hand tighter, he had to take what he could get when it came to Hajime.

The next day he had woken up next to Hajime, he felt himself jolt nervously from the bed before realizing that it was nothing like what he thought, he remembered that they had both fallen asleep together talking about the killing game.

_ Don't get your head in the gutter. _

Soda smiled looking down at Hajime who still slept peacefully as he stared at the clock and realized it was only eight in the morning.

He gently opened the door, finding his way out before hearing someone else come out of the cottage near him; he glanced over out of curiosity before shuddering, realizing it was Akane.

The gymnast looked around before noticing Soda who glared right back at her. She blinked, immediately running over to see if her gut was right once again.

Akane crossed her arms before gasping as he noticed that this was indeed Hajime's cottage.

"What were you doing in Hajime's cottage?" 

The mechanic scoffed, furiously flushing as he bit his lip, unable to even think of a cohesive response before he began to stammer, pointing at the gymnast.

"I could ask the same thing y'know! What were you doing in Nekomaru's cabin all night?!" 

The gymnast smirked, she chuckled at the question as she adjusted her sports bra with a warm energy radiating off of her, "I was doing a lot of things with him," she said suggestively.

"I was just talking with him, it wasn't what you and Nekomaru did for sure," he added before fixing his hair, looking down at the ground beneath him.

Soda wanted to be angry or tease her but in reality it was what he and Fuyuhiko had been hyping her up to do for weeks, for  _ months _ . The mechanic sighed, unable to fight her about this when she looked so happy.

"I'm glad you two finally confessed, it was getting annoying hearing you talk about him so much," he teased as Akane scoffed, wrapping an arm around Soda's waist as they walked towards the restaurant. 

"You and Hajime are next." 

Soda groaned.

"If he ever stops to notice me maybe." 

Akane wanted to berate him right then and there, tell him all the times she had watched Hajime gaze at him tenderly, how he smiled whenever Soda would agree with him or add to the conversation when they all had breakfast—so many hints.

The gymnast kept quiet, knowing that he needed at the end of the day to realize these things for himself like she had with Nekomaru. Akane tapped his shoulders, begging him to pay attention.

"Good to have my wing woman." 

Akane laughed.

"I mean I've stuck around with you for this long…" 

"Hey!" 

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding, I love you to." 

They both skipped along to the restaurant together wanting to get breakfast, both of them glad that they had been able to depend on each other for so long.

_ Maybe the simulation wasn't all that bad when you're still here. _

**Author's Note:**

> my tumblr is @pxkopxkoyama, thank you for reading, comments much appreciated !!!


End file.
